Wood lathe Tragedy in USA

[CHJ]

Young Student killed by hair caught in lathe.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/ ... laborator/

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/ ... ufault-11/

 

[Daven]

That's sad.

Dave

 

[grandads_shed]

may she rest in peace,
just go to show you must tie back your hair and put it up if its long, and not have baggy clothing.

 

[DougieH]

Hi Chas, she wasnt 11 years old, she was 22. I think she was Michele Dufault `11 (as in the second). Still a tragedy.

Doug

Mod edit: Thanks Doug, my error ammended.

 

[Leo]

I thought that this was going to be a tasteless joke at first, but what a tragedy..........we must ALL beware and not think we are immortal, Lathe and shop stuff is very nasty if used incorrectly.....I am guilty of being far too complacent, like so many of us. RIP

 

[skeetoids]

Hi,

What a tragic loss.

Chaz, can you add this to the H&S sticky? I think it would be a good reminder regarding lathe safety.

I wonder if a toughened, perspex/plastic chuck shield would have helped in this situation?

Cheers,

Lee.

 

[CHJ]

..I wonder if a toughened, perspex/plastic chuck shield would have helped in this situation?
...

Lee, I doubt that any form of guarding would prevent this sort of accident, in fact in all my years involved with machine tools I have seen as many accidents caused by being trapped by guarding, either because it was only token or virtually impossible to work with. It is virtually impossible to adequately guard a machine used for creative or 'one off' pieces.

If you have ever had a strip of abrasive or cloth pick up on a simple smooth spindle and snatched out of your fingers you will know what I mean.

From day one, introduction to any form of machine shop, be it Metal, Wood, Sewing, Mill etc. old hands will drum into you, cut your hair or cover it or risk loosing it.

I've seen a pillar drill remove a sizable chunk of someones scalp because they could not be bothered to tye their hair back, despite a darn great warning notice alongside the machine.

 

[PsyMan]

Tragic story, RIP

I have had my jumper sleeve catch on a pillar drill and within a split second I was being choked against the machine after it instantly twisted me in, luckily the guy I was working with was at hand to hit the off button as I was frantically slapping air missing it myself, very lucky escape as I couldnt breath. Thats the problem, when these things happen they happen so quickly.

Safety first always

 

[monkeybiter]

Similarly I got my right hand jumper sleeve caught in my metal working lathe at the tailstock. Luckily I could still reach the clutch and it didn't end badly but it taught me a memorable lesson.
I think with most things in life you have to learn from personal experience for it to stick. Same goes for driving and the close calls of youth.

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

Have to admit I am very wary about catches so much so I got the missus to modify my overalls to have short sleaves (like a tee-shirt) so I work with bare arms.

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

In the winter i tend to work with a jacket. Im forever getting the sleeve caught in the belt sander. No damage to me as of yet but It has tort me no matter how cold, roll up the jacket sleeves before using anything that rotates. Same with gloves. An OCD problem with my hands means I have to wear gloves as much as possible. I remove them when using machinery that recommends you don't use gloves but when using a hand held drill, the screw or drill bit is forever gripping my glove and twisting it. Again no damage to me but the day will come with that one.

 

[Blister]

O dear , what a tragedy


so young and her life had just started

Sad very sad

 

[Jonzjob]

That is a very, very sad story!

My mother was a machinest during the war and one of the women she worked with had exactly the same thing happen, only with a pillar drill. Just so sad and un-necessary.

My turning jackets have velcro on the sleeves so they are not flapping about. It also stopps chips shooting up them.

I couldn't get to the end of either of those links Chas. Just so very sad!

 

[gnu]

A very sad and tragic event especially for one at such a young age with her whole life ahead of her.

 

[Elaine]

What a terrible loss at such a young age. I guess for this tragedy not to be pointless is that we all take heed about shop safety. It is quite rightly talked about on this forum and I am thankful for all the advice I get here.
May she rest in peace.

 

[mike s]

this is the only reason i like having a weak powered lathe, it will stop before it rips my arm off.
i wonder what she caught her hair on?
the chuck maybe?
iv only ever had a rag torn from my hands when caught up in the lathe, i hope it stays that way.

 

[Lightweeder]

Thanks for posting this Chas. Nothing we can do to turn back the clock, but we all need reminders from time to time.

 

[Leo]

I don't have much hair, but after reading this, I now wear T-shirts at the Lathe, I have also had two man in their 70s. come up to my stall and say that they used to be woodturners, but their lungs are ruined. I made my own cyclone and extraction system today and WILL use it. It all only cost me 100 euros for the bits, to have 6 dust inlets in the shop. Well worth it !!!

We all have to learn from other peoples mistakes, or they just keep happening.

 

[mike s]

this is a bit off topic but what are the effects of ruined lungs from turning?

 

[CHJ]

this is a bit off topic but what are the effects of ruined lungs from turning?

If you mean cause, Dust and Chemical contamination, mainly from particles too small for you to see.

Effects, shortage of breath, fluid on the lungs, cancer, lung transplant.

No worse than many other occupations, I regularly walk across the other side of a road in town to avoid the stone and cement dust being thrown up by a worker cutting paving slabs and the like without wearing a mask.